Russian Foreign Ministry urges Kiev not to foment tensions in Crimea

Russia is extremely concerned by the latest events in Crimea, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Russia is extremely concerned by the latest events in Crimea, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"Unidentified armed men sent from Kiev attempted to seize the building of the Interior Ministry of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea in the early hours of March 1. The treacherous provocation resulted in casualties. Self-defense units' resolute actions helped avert the attempt to seize the Interior Ministry building. These events confirm the desire of well-known political circles in Kiev to destabilize the situation on the peninsula," says the statement available on the Russian Foreign Ministry website.

"We are calling on those who issue such orders from Kiev to exercise restraint. We view the attempts to further escalate the already tense situation in Crimea as extremely irresponsible," it said.

"Perhaps in this situation we could grant the Crimean government's
request and send a limited contingent there to provide security of the
Black Sea Fleet and Russian citizens living in Crimea," Matviyenko said
on Saturday.